McDavid, Draisaitl go ‘Nuclear’ for Oilers in Stanley Cup Final

The Edmonton Oilers were down early to the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night when coach Kris Knoblauch put stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the ice together.

It has been called Edmonton’s ‘Nuclear Option,’ and it certainly stunned the Panthers.

Not that they weren’t expecting it, but the Oilers certainly flipped things around against the Panthers, overcoming a 3-1 deficit early in the second to win in overtime on a goal from Draisaitl off a feed from McDavid.

It sounds like Knoblauch is going to start McDavid and Draisaitl on separate lines in Game  2 tonight — but that may not last if the Panthers get off to the start they hope to get off to.

“Leon playing center spreads out our scoring a little bit, gets him in the game a little bit more,’’ Knoblauch said. “It also allows the rest of our team to know they have a role, they’ve got to play well, and we’re not just relying on this one line to do all the work.’’

The Panthers would be fine with not seeing those two together, although it is almost inevitable.

Both play on the top power play unit, and, they often find the ice together.

“When they play together, they’re obviously very creative players, and they’ll make everyone around them better,’’ Seth Jones said. “They like to look for each other, especially when they play together, little give and goes, things like that, and then they’re dangerous off the rush, too.”

PANTHERS / OILERS / FHN

• Tomas Nosek’s delay of game penalty Wednesday was costly — but the Panthers aren’t blaming him for the Game 1 loss.
• The Panthers have plenty to work on before Game 2 of the Final comes Friday night.
• If Game 1 is any indication, this is going to be a great series.
• The Panthers are confident they can bounce back.
• The Charlotte Checkers are enjoying the moment — and some time off before the start of the Calder Cup Final.
• Don’t forget to subscribe to the FHN YouTube channel to watch interviews with the Florida Panthers throughout the postseason. More today from Edmonton before Game 2.

NHL LINKS

• Marco Sturm, who one played for the Panthers but is no relation to Nico, is the new coach of the Boston Bruins.
• Johnny Gaudreau’s widow presents Sean Monahan with the Masterton Trophy in an emotional meeting.
• Looks like Mike Sullivan is taking his Pittsburgh Penguins assistants with him to New York.
• With the top pick in the draft, the New York Islanders have options.

2025 STANLEY CUP FINAL

GAME 2

FLORIDA PANTHERS @ EDMONTON OILERS

Edmonton Leads Best-of-7 Series 1-0

• When: Friday, 8 p.m.
• Where: Rogers Place, Edmonton
• National TV: TNT/truTV 
• National Streaming: Max
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys), SiriusXM
• Radio Streaming: SiriusXM, NHL App
• Series Schedule (all games at 8 p.m., TNT) — Game 1: @Edmonton 4, Florida 3 OT; Game 2: @Edmonton Friday; Game 3: @Florida Monday; Game 4: @Florida, Thursday June 12; Game 5*: @Edmonton, Saturday June 14; Game 6*: @Florida, Tuesday June 17; Game 7*: @Edmonton, Friday June 20.
• Regular Season (Panthers won 2-0) — At Florida: Panthers 4, Oilers 3 (Feb. 27). At Edmonton: Panthers 6, Oilers 5 (Dec. 16).
• How They Got Here: Edmonton d. Los Angeles (6), Vegas (5), Dallas (5); Florida d. Tampa Bay (5), Toronto (7), Carolina (5)
• Postseason History: Florida Won 2024 Stanley Cup Final 4-3
• All-time Regular Season Series: Oilers lead 23-18-0, 3 ties